Going to work in London: ‘Ignore the artificial anger … most people in this country are fairly or very happy with their lives.’
Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Some say: it’s the economy, stupid. People have finally had enough after years of little or no growth in their real incomes. And, especially after the global financial crisis, the elite that purportedly caused it seems to have sailed on while everybody else has suffered. Others look to unwanted cultural changes, specifically unprecedented levels of immigration.

But ideas and narratives influence and inspire people, too. A common and winning one is anti-establishmentarianism: the scapegoating of senior and successful people – especially politicians, financiers and journalists – for coming together and pulling strings that cause social ills.

Some on the left have long argued this. Jeremy Corbyn has said that those who voted Brexit were rejecting a “broken economic model” of neoliberalism that is enforced by, and only benefits, the rich.

Ask yourself: is it really the case that a majority of the electorate who, only a year before voted in a general election for continued austerity, suddenly felt so angry with their lives and “the system” that they also voted to leave the EU?

Let’s face it: for years, the status quo in public attitudes has been against the EU. The campaign to stay in the EU was lost before it even started.

This notion that everyone but the elite is losing out is fantastical. Looking at the datasets on different desiderata – educational attainment, levels of health, job opportunities, living standards, reduced criminality, lower divorce rates, reduced discrimination and worklessness (and the list really does go on) – over several decades, there have been significant improvements for the majority of people in this country and across the world.

Ignore the artificial anger of some politicians, commentators and virtue-signallers on social media: most people in this country are fairly or very happy with their lives. “You’re out of touch,” they howl. “Get out of London and listen to some real people.” Well, I personally can’t speak to everyone – but the folks at the Office for National Statistics speak to an awful lot of people each year. In its annual survey of personal wellbeing, most Brits – even those in the least affluent areas – said they were generally happy with their lives. Additionally, a recent Ipsos study found that, across 40 developed countries, an average of 86% of the population said they were too.

These liberal, democratic and capitalist societies are hardly dystopian, are they? And, as history teaches us, we are lucky to not live in alternative political systems. How grateful we should be to past generations that fought for the society we now enjoy.

Without doubt there are too many people who are genuinely struggling in our society, and deserve more support. But this requires a smarter state seeking to reduce hardship, not a political revolution based on nothing but rousing rhetoric and abstract principles.

The left is wrong about capitalism: it does not automatically foster human greed, abuse and exploitation. When such vices exist, they can be – and indeed have been – mitigated by democratic and political power.

Disappointingly, some on the right have also joined the chorus against the establishment. A disconnected and devious elite is blamed for imposing mass immigration, social liberalism and political correctness on society. But the notion that society has simply become an elite and a people, each with unified views and interests, is a Marxist myth. Every day, for example, we see newspaper stories of politicians disagreeing with one another.

Vigorous debate and disagreement are essential ingredients and signs of a healthy democracy. But it is now commonplace to hear decision-makers and opinion-formers indulge in conspiracy theories that question the very trustworthiness, intentions and legitimacy of people in fundamental institutions such as parliament, the judiciary, businesses and banks that have taken decades to build and which enhance our peace and prosperity.

Of course, there are bad eggs who sometimes reach the top of these institutions. But the clear majority of them are good, hardworking people. Indiscriminately criticising them is, frankly, the politics of nihilism and envy. We should be celebrating rather than condemning them, and fighting and finding ways for those from a more diverse range of backgrounds to become part of the elite.

Beware of those who seek to blame complex and stubborn problems on particular social groups – rich or poor, strong or weak. We should reject such ugly and divisive identity politics. Instead, now more than ever, we need to defend liberal, open, democratic and meritocratic values and institutions. And we must work harder to ensure that more people, including those who are vulnerable and “just about managing”, are benefiting from such values and institutions.